1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to arrangements for securing pins in electrical connectors.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
Typical prior art shrouds have a designed interference with a mating pin. In the application process the shroud is placed on the pin tip and, with some sort of toe and press, is pushed down the pin against the rear side of a back panel.
One of the difficulties associated with such a procedure is knowing if the shroud is properly aligned with the pins. That is, knowing if the shroud is misplaced by perhaps one position. Another problem, is that the shroud needs to be held on the pin tips while a tool is placed within it and it is placed into a press. It is also found that as pressure is applied to the shroud, the pin may have a tendency to bend causing pin deformations since the load is being placed on a long slender column.
As is disclosed in European Patent Application No. 578 487 A (U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,730), it is known in the art to provide a structure known as a locking plate or retention wafer between the shroud or housing and the circuit board or back panel. The arms fit in passageways in the base of the housing and these passageways include a camming surface for urging the gripping arms into contact with the pins. The disadvantage to the above arrangement described in European Patent Application No. 578 487 A is that the interacting protuberance and camming surfaces require the gripping arms or cylindrical members to be displaced from each other at a relatively large distance. The present invention aims to ameliorate the shortcomings of the described prior art by providing an electrical connector having a shroud retention wafer that acts to more easily cooperate with the pins of the electrical connector thereby avoiding the necessity of having such pins to be displaced from each other by large distances and protecting against possible pin deformations.
From the foregoing it is appreciated that there exists a need for an electrical connector to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. By having an electrical connector with a shroud retention wafer, the cylindrical members or gripping arms of the electrical connector would not be displaced over a large distance from each other.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a shroud retention wafer which allows easier shroud application than typical shrouds.
It is another object to provide a shroud retention wafer which produces less damage to pins than typical shrouds.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a shroud retention wafer which provides better retention than typical shrouds.
The insulative shroud retention wafer of this invention includes a planar base member having a first and a second side. There are also first, second, third and fourth cylindrical members each having an axial pin receiving aperture and an axial center line extending said pin receiving aperture. These cylindrical members extend from the first side of the planar base member, and these cylindrical members are positioned in an arrangement such that a first longitudinal center line extends through the axial center line of the first and second cylindrical members. A second longitudinal center line extends in parallel spaced retention to the first longitudinal center line through the axial center lines of the third and fourth cylindrical members. A first transverse center line extends through the centerlines of the first and third cylindrical members. A second traverse center line extends through the center line of the second and fourth cylindrical members. A protuberance is peripherally positioned on the first cylinder at least in part at a position between the first longitudinal center line and the first transverse center line.